Warlords of Draenor: Archaeology Overview

Archaeology in Warlords of Draenor has three new branches, new rare solves, and even some jumping games tied to fragments! Pristine solves return--they can be displayed in your Garrison--and Esiliati Arakkoa are a new faction that's Archaeology-themed.

In life, no two creatures will share a stronger relationship than that of a Frostwolf orc and his or her companion wolf. The two eat, sleep, and fight side by side until one or both dies an honorable death. Even then, sometimes not even death itself can stop a frostwolf from coming to the aid of its beloved orc.

Learning to speak with the elemental spirits of Draenor was a pivotal achievement in destiny the Orc clans. Many clans claim the mythical "First Shaman" arose from their ranks, but the truth is that no one is sure of his or her allegiance.

In order to be granted full standing within the Frostwolf clan, each member must undertake a solo quest to befriend and bond with a wild Frostwolf. Not all clan members pass this trial, but those that do earn a lifelong companion.

As part of the rite of passage into adulthood, a Frostwolf orc must slay a frostboar and carve their family genealogy as far back as will fit on the creature's largest tusk. Family history and tradition are of great importance to the Frostwolf clan, so the largest frostboars are hunted each season to preserve clan lineage.

With the icy Frostwind desert providing little vegetative nourishment, the Frostwolf depend on their hunters for sustenance. These snowshoes, constructed of wolf bones and pelts, help keep trackers from sinking into deep drifts while pursuing prey.

Relying on shock and awe to overwhelm their enemies, the Warsong earned their name from their fearsome battle cries and thunderous drum marches. These macabre drums are constructed of Talbuk leather stretched tightly over what appear to be ogre skulls, celebrating the clan's freedom from the ogre empire.

A bullroarer is an arm-length piece of rigid wood affixed to the end of a long rope and spun over the wielder's head to generate a droning noise capable of traveling long distances. This example was grooved by the Warsong to emit a high-pitched whistling noise rather than the low hum used by most other clans.

The riders of the Warsong clan are always on the move. In camp, a family's tent is marked with a long pike thrust into the ground - often adorned with the skulls of defeated enemies. This example is over a hundred years old and is branded with the names of several key battles.

Despite many dents and scratches, you can see the Blackrock clan iconography etched in to this once-proud hammer. The first of the Orc clans to master the art of shaping their namesake metal, the Blackrock prefer to wield blunt weaponry in battle to honor their ancestors.

The Blackrock Clan originally used the naturally occurring elemental-fueled infernos of ancient Draenor to shape and harden their namesake ore. A Shaman could use these bellows to channel the power of a fire spirit directly to a blast furnace, allowing the Blackrock to set up forges anywhere.

Male orcs of the Blackrock Clan never cut their hair until they come of age, at which point their head is shaved and their role in this extremely regimented society is determined. This ancient switchblade is forged of blackrock and embellished with jewels, likely used by a prominent family for many generations of initiation.

Taking their namesake literally, warriors of the Shattered Hand clan will ritualistically smash their own hand before cutting it off. The stump is cauterized and replaced with one of many varities of weaponry. This blade, which resembles a simple butcher's cleaver, is heavily weighted to assist in making a single clean cut at the wrist.

The Shattered Hand celebrate victory in battle with self-mutilation. Their most celebrated warriors are covered with scars and piercings, and it becomes increasingly difficult with age to tell which were inflicted by enemies or by the triumphant orc.

This arm-length fishing hook has less in common with a traditional fishing hook and more with a halberd. The Stormreaver clan are the master navigators and fishermen of Draenor, and judging by the size of this hook their prey is no less savage than those of the landlocked clans.

These bone needles are taken from the corpses of fallen enemies and meticuously sharpened. The mystics of the Shadowmoon often inscribe secret runes into their flesh to more clearly speak to their ancestors and the elemental spirits.

An example of the Void worship once practiced but now banned by the Shadowmoon Clan elders, this idol is as dark as the night sky. Roughly and frantically chiseled from the tusk of what must have been a colossal Elekk, this idol was dyed and is inlaid with complex swirling and jagged patterns.

Consultation with the spirits of previous generations is considered essential to Shadowmoon shamans whenever an important decision is to be made. Talismans and other relics that were important to an ancestor during life provide a more clear spiritual conduit for shamans to speak to them in the afterlife.

Sticky, smelly, and highly flammable, the substance in this small container is liberally applied to the swords and axes of the Burning Blade clan before battle. Though some warriors choose to ignite their weapons before battle, most let the inevitable contact of blades and armor spark the blazegrease for unpredictable intimidation.

The Thunderlords are the greatest big game hunters in all of Draenor. For centuries they have used riding beasts and coordinated assaults to slay game and gronn alike. Their clan draws their name from an ancient chieftain who single-handedly slew a powerful gronn at the pinnacle of Thunder Peak.

This tablet speaks of the "end times." From what you can decipher, the crude scrawls of multiple authors speak of at least seven different and sometimes conflicting versions of a final reckoning for all of the inhabitants of Draenor. Eerily, the iconography of a flaming hammer is clearly depicted - is this the ancestral origin of the Twilight's Hammer clan?

Chieftains rule small bands of ogres with an iron fist, and are never short on challengers. The Stonemaul clan have notoriously high turnover rate in their leadership; judging from the layers of bloodstains this stone appears to have been instrumental in deposing multiple Stonemaul chieftans.

Rather than using clasps and locks, Ogres bind their slaves using unbroken stone circlets. Their centuries of manipulating earth elements lets them simply shrink the manacles tightly around the slave's ankles, wrists, or neck.

Expressing with sculpture what most ogres could struggle to explain in words, this statue summarizes the most important ogre physical attribute: size. The clefthoof held above the ogre's head displays strength, while the robust waistline symbolizes great wealth.

While the written word is mostly used as an instrument for the upper echelons of imperial ogre society, occasionally an ordinary ogre will try his hand at making a story immortal. This pictogram appears to tell the story of an especially distressing culinary experience.

Disagreements between ogres usually end in violence. During the early decades of the Age of Order, a sly chieftain decreed that disputes in his clan would be settled via proxy in one-on-one combat between slaves. The mortality rate amongst the ogres plummeted, leading to a golden age of expansion.

Preferring to show off their physique, ogres eschew garments that cover too much skin. In order to look more fearsome to their enemies, they adorn their bodies with warpaints created in these grinding tools. This mortar and pestle set is stained yellow, indicating it was used by the Boulderfist clan.

While most ogres are born with two eyes, a handful in every generation regress and are born with a single eye. All but a few clans recognize these ogres are exceptional and destined for great things. An unlucky one-eyed ogre mage lost his eye in a duel and replaced it with this fist-sized stone, discovering it to have magical properties when he did so.

Ogres are straightforward in combat and often suffer as much punishment as they dish out, relying on their strength and stamina to carry them to victory. These serrated-tooth dentures are proof that at least one ogre had all of his teeth knocked out and lived to fight another day.

A brilliant ogre once had a thought that riding a chimera would make travel much faster than using pack animals or walking. Roughly crafted from thick leather and utilizing an excessive number of knots, this seat could comfortably accomodate an ogre. However, it could only be saddled on a chimera the size of a small mountain which seems to explain why no one has ever seen ogres fly.

Assembled fragments from this stone stele place it in Talador several hundred years before the draenei arrived. It marks an ogre imperial decree to raze several orc settlements in retaliation for a number of rebellious raids against Gorian slave trade caravans. The orders were likely carried out, since the towns no longer exist, and this stone was erected to memorialize the dark deed.

Imperial ogres jealously guard the secrets of magic in order to keep their status among the ruling class. The wealthiest among them adorn themselves with magically-enhanced jewelry and other wearable artifacts.

The first great technological innovation in ogre society was the concept of attaching a rock to the end of a very long stick to smash your enemies, rather than attempting to bash them with a rock held in your hand. The schism this innovation created amongst ogre society resolved itself only when the now-forgotten tribe broke in to the Warmaul and Boulderfist clans.

Harnessing the power of the sun as a never-ending fuel, these constructs were originally built as automated caretakers for young Arakkoa. With the conflict escalating between the Adherants of Ruhkmar and the Outcasts, many have been repurposed as instruments of war.

When Terokk returned from exile he was broken and flightless. Rumors of his cursed state swept like wildfire through the Arakkoa, giving rise to superstitious charms and cures. Dreamcatchers endure as one of the most clung-to icons of safety, for the Arakkoa believe the curse will entangle itself in the dreamcatcher and fade in the morning sunlight.

In death all Arakkoa seek to join the Sun-God Rukhmar in the skies above Draenor, thus cremation is vastly preferred to burial. Some have their ashes scattered high in the skies, others are collected in ornate urns and placed in crypts.

Central to High Arakkoan culture is reverence of Rukhmar and the sun. Hundreds of Solar Orbs are scattered around , which cast a never-ending light so no Arakkoan need go without the sun's warmth, even on a cold and overcast day.

This delicately-engraved instrument, when positioned correctly, acts as both a sundial and an arakkoa seasonal calendar. The base of the instrument is covered with callouts for celestial events, most of which are accompanied by grave warnings. Interestingly, the device seems to have cryptically predicted the arrival of the draenei a century before it happened.

Believing they have been abandoned by the sun, cursed Arakkoa prefer to hide in the forests or beneath awnings during daylight hours. Talonpriests take this a step further and never show their faces to the sun, wearing ritual masks that act as a focus for their communes with Anzu.

Outcast Arakkoa have repurposed the dreamcatcher not to ward off the Curse of Sethe, but to capture and harvest tiny amounts of essences from their lost gods. Rumors persist of an ever-growing mass of swirling energy buried deep beneath Skettis, whispering promises of power to any who will listen...

Scattered in the most ancient of ruins on Draenor are fragments and whispers of the Apexis civilization, who attained a height of power during the Age of Order and then abruptly vanished. The arrival of the Iron Horde has prompted a secret but urgent escalation in retriving Apexis artifacts by the Adherents.

This battered scroll case has corroded shut, and the scroll within is barely readable with very careful examination. These appear to be plans and measurements for a glorious "Temple in the Sky," written in an ancient hand. It's unclear whether such a splendid structure was ever built.

Eschewing traditional Arakkoan weaponry, Terokk carried this cudgel as a symbol of his fall from king to outcast heretic. Rumors have persisted for centuries that rather than employing traditional wing-cutting as a punishment, Terokk simply shattered the beaks of those who dared to oppose him.

Map

Smuggled Apexis ArtifactsMisplaced ScrollMisplaced ScrollsSun-Touched CacheRelics of the OutcastRelics of the OutcastRelics of the OutcastRelics of the OutcastRelics of the OutcastRelics of the Outcast

Reliquie degli Esiliati: Walk up the hill next to the crumbling wall, and when the hill is level to the wall, jump onto the wall.

Reliquie degli Esiliati: Jump up the crumbling wall, head to the rope, RP walk across the rope, and then follow the wall to the chest.

Pergamena Smarrita: Follow the mountain path up from the eastern side--it is hard to pick out which one is the real one up, but easy once you are on it. Follow the path to the northern side of the mountain.

Reliquie degli Esiliati: Jump up the hill by the tree, clearing the branch/roof protrusion. Mounted up, jump onto the tree branch/rope. RP walk across the rope to the chest.

Reliquie degli Esiliati: There are four ropes you will need to RP walk across. Be careful when getting off/on the ropes as the tree trunks connecting them are uneven and you may need to reangle yourself to get onto the next one.

Cassa del Tocco Solare: Reach the top level of the Apexis Excavation and go up the slight hill. Instead of trying to jump onto the top platform that has the chest, just jump onto the one below it from the other scaffolding built into the hill.

Exploration Missions

Right now on live servers there are a handful of exploration missions with fun rewards like Bastone di Scorta dell'Arcimago Vargoth, but in 6.1, there are even more missions that you unlock with level 1 Archaeology. They bring some much-needed depth to the profession as well as many cool rewards for players.

These do not require followers to be level 100, although the higher-level missions have better rewards. They range from one to three followers and take 4 hours.

Treasure MapsRare exploration missions reward treasure maps that reveal all undiscovered chests on your map. Previously, this was only available if you completed all quests in a zone. If you already have the treasure map, they vendor for .

Commenti

Commento di kasssaris

I do hope these have a good spawn rate compared to some of the ones now. :)

Commento di typac003

yeah i hope so to

Commento di Braktixx

Quite strange, because Fortemaglio del Capoclan dei Fortemaglio is not a strength item. Can that mean, that ogres of Warmaul are not strong, but agile? Perhaps we were mistaken for whole ages, and ogres don't base on they strength, but on agility? Maybe all ogres we already know and think that they are warriors are monks in reality? So many undiscovered secrets lie before us...

Commento di thunderdragon2

i wonder if theres more news to come for archy im surprised at the fact that there is only four reare artifacts for the three races, they should also let you trade your restored draneor artifacts for any type of fragment. As it is now you need to trade completed artifacts for mogu/mantid/pandaran and complete 1 of their solves to get the other crates if your after the crawling crab from tol'vir still

Commento di ace007007007

why is there only 2h mace 1h mace what about staffs swords and dagger and offhands and any kind of epic weps also armor

Commento di viddi32

the Frostwolf Ghostpup is abit sad :(

Commento di couchstyle

Looks like I'll be the head professor soon enough, with all the time spent digging for these treasures.

That mace..is so worthy of trasmog, and it would be great to adopt the frostwolf pet.

Commento di Sergiu23

Ami personalmente no me gusta nada esta prof. ....

Commento di Shatterhawk

Okay, Arch's in the Beta. Now how the hell do we learn the next step? I'm not finding anything that will let you learn till 700.

Commento di Utopiantos

By digging in Pandaria you can also complete every previous archeology project in the game, because of the "Restored Artifact" crate.

Does this mean that it's basically a waste of time to try and complete all the archaeology achievements of MoP?Because we can expect to get zounds of new crates in WoD? Two birds with one stone?

Commento di Cymre

Seems fitting that you need to dig for the journal to level the profession this time :) Some additional info may be found in my Archaeology Guide

Commento di TheCutter

May I suggest for the overview you add how to get started in Draenor, i.e., how to get past 600.

Commento di Klaital1

I am kind of disappointed that there is again only crappy leveling gear, why can't they put BiS epics in archealogy like in cata so there would be something worthwhile from doing it again. :/ Now only reason to do archealogy in Draenor are those two pets.

Commento di Pimpolhao

Fantastic work, i hope you guys create a strategy guide pretty soon when the game is released!

Commento di my1if34wow

Please don't make us solve 20+ of each for Achievement.

Commento di Soreleyn

Personally, I'm not keen on doing archeology until we can fly.. And if we don't get to fly, meh.

Commento di Whackadoo

I really really like the new obstacle thing. Having to do a little platform jumping!

Commento di Duccis

As of 6.0.3, you do not gain skill above 600 from ANY non-WoD surveys nor solves.

Commento di sakera

In regards to this part:

You can also loot several fragments from Mine Carts in your Lunarfall Excavation Level 2 if you have a follower with Mining assigned.

I just upgraded my Mine to level 2 about 15 minutes ago and I rushed in to gather my ore before shutdown. It had spawned the carts (which contained Archaeology fragments among other items) but I did NOT have a follower assigned to the Mine.

So was that part I quoted above meant to imply the carts would ONLY contain fragments if you had a follower with Mining assigned?

Commento di AveryZan

ya... arcs not so fun w/o flying. the boas arent great unless you didnt get garrosh heirlooms. the pets are awesome though!

Commento di derby31

Looks like you get 9 digs per site in Draenor. So it was pretty easy getting to level 700 whilst levelling.

I've only been in Shadowmoon Valley so far. The digsites don't seem as compact as the ones in Pandaria but they are no too bad. The 50% extra digs per site compensates.

Shame there are no rares that give a mount or perhaps something fun for the Toybox. It would be nice if we could find rare artifacts that are monuments that can be displayed in our Garrison.

Commento di DiardanRose

Does anyone know if those who visit your garrison are able to see the pristines you have displayed? My friend has one, and it seems really silly if it isn't just a bug and I actually can't see them.

Commento di oplix

Archeology is absolutely pathetic in Draenor. They might as well have just removed it. Of course, that would piss people off because you can't just remove a profession and say you don't have the resources to keep maintaining the feature.

Commento di argentlupus

Question, I have been doing Archeology since I hit Draenor, and I have an issue that once I get done in an area for archeology there are no new digsites. Is there anything up with that?

Commento di Stargazer777

A level 3 town hall is required to display pristine archaeology solves. If you complete a pristine solve before then, you will have to hold onto the item until you can upgrade to level 3 town hall.

Commento di buaziz

So I am doing Ancient Nest Guardian atm, got 200 fragments, and 2 Arakkoa Cipher, since I cant loot any more fragments and ciphers, what can I do to finish it as I still need one more cipher?

Commento di Mette

Can anyone help, I'm collecting Arakkoa Archeology Fragments, I have 197 in my bag, and the cap is 200. The next item to make is a rare, where I need 250 fragments I only have 2 x Cifrario degli Arakkoa, so I cant make it to 250 fragment to reach the point where I can hit the solve button. What do I do? Any suggestions?Is it possible to skip the rare im up to and do a common one insted such that i can collect more Cifrario degli Arakkoa

Commento di Alcest

4 i620 items and 2 pets. For an ENTIRE EXPANSION'S LAUNCH, this just proves that Blizzard has lost all ideas for making Archaeology good and/or fun in any way, shape, or form. I enjoyed it a lot more when it got me a mount, pretty decent gear that lasted awhile, and other fun things. Now it's just a mess.

Commento di derby31

All professions except Archaeology, Cooking and First Aid have a garrison building aimed at that profession. We even have a couple of new 'professions' in logging and salvaging that have their own buildings. We need more for the secondary professions.

I want to build a Museum in my garrison.I want to be able to recruit Harrison Jones as a follower. Surely he must have found his way through the Dark Portal by now (even Nat Pagle made the journey).Harrison Jones is now availableI want to send my followers off on archaeology missions. Digging up the odd fragment here and there in the Mine is OK but miners aren't trained for this type of job. We now have the Exploration Garrison missions.I want to put up monuments in my garrison that I have dug up from Draenor.I want to trade in my Restored Artefacts at my garrison rather than travel to Ashran.

A new title would also be nice. Rares that are interesting like new mounts (e.g. a fossilised Rylak), some ancient Draenor toys or a Monument. When a pristine artefact is displayed in your trophy room there are no labels to read like we used to have in the Lorewalkers Library. The jumping puzzles are fun, perhaps have these as an alternative to a digsite.

There are some nice things introduced in WoD:

The trophy room is a nice addition to the level 3 Town Hall. (But a museum would be better!)

The new pets are nice.

The jumping puzzles are frustratingly fun.

9 digs per site.

Continuing with the Restored Artefact trade in system. (Such a great thing introduced in MoP - I will get that Tol'vir mount one day)!

I guess the new gear is not too bad if you have a class that can use them. ilevel 620 that can be equipped at level 91 is pretty decent for alts. Might be useful for transmog, maybe?

My hope is that they just ran out of time on the secondary professions before WoD launched and there is a lot more to come in future patches.

Edited for 6.1. Very pleased to see some of the things on my list in 6.1 and I'll keep my fingers crossed for 6.2! Thanks for all the comments and upvotes, it is much appreciated.

Commento di SeyonMas

I think they have something big planned for Archaeology. Arriving in Ashran, I heard a guard say "Did you hear Harrison Jones is still looking for that secret artifact?"

Might not be in this patch, might not be archaeology. But maybe it is, and maybe we're able to do it now.

Commento di Nikkun1959

I have reached LvL 75 in archaeology and want to know where to go to be able to train for the next level now I am in Draenor. My Garrison is only Lvl 1

Commento di shafu

When you reach lvl 700 you can hand in your Restored Artefact crates in Ashran to the trainer Srikka location those that have Tom tom /way 74.60, 32.90

Commento di PB2406

I cannot get the plan to drop for me. so I am stuck at 600. I read it drops off of mobs, and that you have to dig it up. I have done both for days and it will not drop for me. Am I doing something wrong?

Commento di DaltonImperial

If you are working on Archaeology as you level, make sure to check on the level of the mobs in the area; half of one of the dig sites I received in Gorgrond (some wilds in the northeast part of the zone) at level 95 had level 100 mobs (thank goodness for my bodyguard). This seems to be a common feature in WoD, with at least part of each zone featuring level 100 mobs.

Commento di rzzr

It's a shame what they have done to archaeology, I thought they had it right in MOP with small dig sites with no mobs. No we have gone back to large dig sites with mobs. The lack of flying along with the size of the continent means that I am not really interested in doing it any more.

Commento di Stargazer777

Don't forget - there's also a chance that Arakkoa, Draenor Clans, and Ogre Archaeology Fragments will drop from the mining carts in your Garrison mine! You start getting the mining carts in your level 2 mine, and it is not necessary to have a follower assigned for them to show up.

Commento di proxyblack

cant wait for the fragments from follower missions, now if they would only add the fossil class to the exploration missions.

Commento di Aaahead

Just a note on the rewards that can be obtained through archeology in WoD. There are 4 item level 620 pieces of bind-on-account gear, and two pets. One pet is Guardiano del Nido Antico, which has a median price of 4500 gold across all US realms on the AH right now, and the other is Cucciolo Spettrale di Lupo Bianco, which has a median price of 2000 gold. Given that there are far quicker ways to acquire better gear or enough gold to buy the pets, the rewards aren't a reason to do archeology. It should only be done if you intrinsically enjoy digging, or enjoy getting achievements.

Commento di derby31

Has anyone found any changes for Archaeology for 6.2?

The only change I can find is that Manufatto Restaurato can no longer be bought using Spirito dell'Armonia in Pandaria. Obviously flying in Draenor in the future will help make Archaeology a bit easier.

But there are no dig sites in Tanaan Jungle. Could have been interesting digging up fel-tainted fragments.

Commento di manly1138

As of Patch 6.2 I find that I can no longer Dig at some sites for the final fragment. 2 sites in Nagrand (one was elemental plateau) and one in Vale (Tu Shen Burial Ground) of eternal. I am not using any addons. I can use my pick until it turns blinking green and then when I walk a few feet it says can not use that here. When it says that I am still inside an archaeology blob on my mini map and I am not in combat. This has only started since 6.2 went in effect. I have been doing a LOT of arch in the last two weeks and this is new.

Commento di Rukketukker

I wonder how many people tried getting fragments, alot of the spawnpoints are outside the survey areas. At one point I was "stuck" in 3 of the 4 areas.

Commento di tph88

What archaeology level do I need to be to solve new Draenor items?I am maxed out on ogre fragments but can't solve anything, but can't pick up any more ogre artifacts (and 3/4 digsites on Draenor are ogre!)Out of 2 characters, one has 361/700 and CAN solve the ogre artifacts.The other has 387/700 and CANNOT solve the ogre artifacts... ?Any ideas?

Commento di pat33

1)The best class for this is a druid but if you're like me and queue Bg's and Hdungs while digging you might end up with a non druid class...

1.2) For achievement hunters: wait for hallow's end event you will get instant cast on flying with the magic broom.

2) Try to do the achievement Draenor Curator ( all pristines) first: you will get at least 350 crates to complete olders xpac archeology at the seat of knowledge by buying fragments. Choose your race well( go to tip4)

Ex.: Had 300 crates to use after the achievement and got very lucky at the seat of knowledge got 5 rares, 1 fossilized raptor and a crawling claw. (All Tol'vir and Nelf for me)

#1 Kalimdor: Only place for Nelf(7), Tol'vir(6). Some Troll (3), Fossil(5) in Tanaris and Ungoro #2 Eastern Kingdoms: Only place for Dwarf(4). Some Troll(3) Some Fossil(5)

*********************************************************************************************************Fact: This is most boring achievement to do in the game, ever! (cap this at 30: been there done that)Truth: If you continue to dig for achievements every Xpac you will become an artifact yourself!